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04 Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 1/2017 UK NEWS Oral health improving, but not equally By DTI LONDON, UK: Compared with other countries in Europe, UK children score relatively low on the DMF index. Despite signifi- cant improvements in the state of oral health since the early 1990s, however, a large gap exists between children of different eco- nomic backgrounds, a new na- tional health report has indicated. The 144-page paper published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in Lon- don on the state of health in chil- dren in all four countries found that 5-year-olds living in the most deprived areas of England, North- ern Ireland and Wales are three times more likely to suffer severe tooth decay than those residing in the most affluent areas. Regarding the number of 5-year-olds with no obvious signs of tooth decay, England and Scot- land had the largest proportion (70 in 100 children), while North- ern Ireland and Wales lagged be- hind, with 60 and 59 in 100 chil- dren, respectively. Nevertheless,childreninNorth- ern Ireland showed the most no- ticeable oral health improvement since 2003, together with Scot- land, the report stated. Caries remains the single most common reason that chil- dren aged 5 to 9 require admission to hospital, in many cases needing general anaesthetic for tooth ex- action, it also said. The figures for the report were derived from the Children’s Den- tal Health Survey for England, Northern Ireland and Wales and the National Dental Inspection Programme for Scotland. Despite the noticeable improvement in the oral health of children, it rec- ommended the implementation and evaluation of national oral health programmes for children andyoungpeopleacrossthecoun- try, building on existing initia- tives, including Childsmile and Designed to Smile. It also called for improving access to dental check-ups as soon as the first tooth erupts and for water fluori- dation in areas where there is high tooth decay. Another key factor for the eradication of tooth decay, accord- ing to the report, is the prevention of children consuming high-sugar food, particularly drinks, through education and national initiatives to reduce sugar in children’s food. “We support all the recommen- dations contained in the report, the most important from the point of view of our patients is for universal early years public health services to be prioritised with targeted help for children and families ex- periencing poverty,” commented media spokesperson of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry and paediatric dentistry consultant Dr Claire Stevens, in Westminster yesterday. “I trust that, as intended, the report will be a springboard for more campaigning and more change, especially in relation to early intervention and prevention in children’s oral health.” Looking at a comprehensive list of 25 indicators, the RCPCH re- port identified some of the major issues concerning the health of UK children and recommended key actions for each government to improve the situation. Educators recognised in New Year Honours By DTI LONDON, UK: Two dental profes- sionalshavemadeittotheQueen’s New Year Honours list this year. Acknowledged for their contribu- tions to dental education and ser- vices to oral health were Associate Dean for Equality and Inclusion Prof. Elizabeth Kay at Plymouth University’s Peninsula School of Dentistry and Sarah Marianne Murray, Head of Centre and Pro- gramme Lead at Queen Mary Uni- versity of London’s Institute of Dentistry. Both women were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the list, which was published by the Home Office last week. They are among almost 1,200 awardees, including Olympic gold medallist Andrew Murray and fashion designer and former Spice Girl member Victoria Beckham, who were recognised for their achievements and ser- vices in various fields, such as sport, economics, health and liter- ature. As Foundation Dean of the Peninsula School of Dentistry, Kay has been pivotal in establishing the first new dental school in the UK for 40 years. Among her other positions, she works as a public health academic consultant with Public Health England and serves on the editorial boards of three dental publications, including the British Dental Journal. One of her recent publications is an intro- ductory textbook for dental un- dergraduates, published by Wiley- Blackwell, for which she was the sole editor. A leading dental hygienist in the UK, Murray currently man- ages and teaches the Foundation Certificate in Oral Health Educa- tion at Queen Mary aimed at qual- ified dental nurses. Among other recognitions, she was awarded the title of “Hygienist of the Year” in 2007. She is also a regular con- tributor to dental journals and magazines in the UK. Both Kay and Murray will re- ceive their awards, along with all the other recipients, in a cere- mony later this year. Patient charge revenue deductions By DTI LONDON, UK: According to the British Dental Association (BDA), deductions on patient charge rev- enue have become a major issue for GDP when dealing with the NHS. The organisation has now reached out to members to ex- plain their case in order to prepare a legal case against the practice. After consultation with its lawyers, the BDA announced that there is a strong case against the legitimacy of NHS England’s ap- proach to patient charge revenue. Dentists who feel affected are requested to deliver their case through the BDA’s website. These are supposed to form the basis of a potential High Court challenge that could be worth thousands of Pounds, the organisation said. The BDA argues that NHS England’s heavy handed approach to patient charge revenue subse- quently means that a high number of dentists suffer ongoing finan- cial losses simply for providing their patients with the necessary care. “We’ve already been able to secure concessions from NHS Eng- land for the manifold failures by Capita on performer lists our mem- bers highlighted. Over 500 founda- tion dentists who faced having to stop working at the start of Decem- ber, can now continue,” commented BDA Vice Chair Eddie Crouch. “Claims that would have fallen foul of the two-month rule due to slow performer attachments are now being permitted. We’re mak- ing progress, but there is so much more we can do,” he continued. “I urge all BDA members to raise this issue with colleagues and encourage them to share their experiences.” The oral health status of a child in the UK depends on where they live or what economic background it has. © George Rudy/Shutterstock.com © cowardlion/Shutterstock.com